Trip Report
BELIZE
12/6 -12/11/13
Race Results
Sun, Dec 8/13
Placencia, Belize
End of the World Marathon
Marathon # 367 – Country # 118
5:11:27
Where do I start? I would have ran the inaugural marathon
in 2012 (hence the name to reflect the end of the Mayan calendar) but I was on
a sabbatical from running to rest and resolve health issues. One year later not
much has been resolved and I did not have much confidence or enthusiasm as I
walked to the start line. I feel it is important to tell my medical history
during the past year that got me to this point for my own records and so that
my readers can understand my mental attitude and dilemma at this time. It may
be boring so feel free to skip the first page and go to the start of the actual
race report.
When I finished the Guernsey Marathon in Aug 2012 I was
in bad shape health-wise. My two health issues had become serious: the UC
(Ulcerative Colitis) was in a major flare-up that could not be controlled by
normal meds and my heart was back in A-fib. I knew I wasn’t feeling well and
announced that Guernsey might well be my ‘final’ marathon. A cardio version was
needed to jump start the heart back into rhythm but that only lasted for a few
months. The cardiologist refused to perform another cardio version and recommended
an ablation procedure to stop the heart from going into A-fib. I reluctantly
agreed to have an ablation procedure the day after Christmas. During this same
time the GI doc had increased my meds to a cocktail of toxic meds to force the
UC into remission and this cocktail had some nasty side effects. When I was
released from the hospital a few days after the ablation I was able to walk a
few miles without problems. However when I tried to run after one week it was a
total disaster – I couldn’t run more than 500 ft. without collapsing from
fatigue and shortness of breath. One week later my heart went back into A-fib
and another cardio version was needed to get it back into rhythm. I was very
discouraged at that point and agreed to follow the cardiologist’s orders NOT to
run for a few weeks to give my heart a chance to recover from the ablation.
In early Feb I started training again. I was determined
to train wisely and slowly. I would walk and add a few short runs until I
suffered shortness of breath. Once I built the run up to 1 mile I would slowly
increase the distance to 2 miles and then add another mile. It took 2 months to
build my run up to 10 miles. During this period the cocktail of toxic drugs
finally forced the UC into remission and I was able to quit the cocktail and
return to my normal (1 toxic) meds. However my ‘long’ run had become limited to
10 miles? After 10 miles I would become fatigued and suffer shortness of
breath? So I added 1 and then 2 miles of walking to my 10-mile run. Finally
after I reached a total of 13 miles I reached a significant breakthrough – I
was suddenly able to run 12 miles. I became exited and optimistic that I might
again be able to run another marathon. I set a goal to run an inaugural
marathon in St Kitts in May 2013. As my trip report indicated that race was
ugly and slow but I did manage to run/walk and finish. I was hopeful that
Maddog was on the road to recovery. Unfortunately that optimism was short-lived
and came to a painful and screeching halt at the Vietnam marathon in Sept. I
felt so bad during and after that race that I knew my health problems were not
resolved! I asked the cardiologist to perform another echocardiogram to compare
my current heart condition to the initial echocardiogram done before the ablation.
I was not surprised but I was disappointed/discouraged by the results and
diagnosis: cardiomyopathy with an EF (Ejection Fraction) of 30%. A normal EF is
50 to 70% so that means my heart is so weak that it is only pumping half the
normal amount of blood volume and can’t support strenuous exercise. The
cardiologist stated that he would not order me to “NOT” run because he knew I
would only ignore his advice. But he was concerned that the marathons were
stressing my weak heart and could cause further damage? I denied this medical fact/truth for almost
one year but could no longer deny the fact that there had been no change or
improvement in the past year. I was hoping that a wise exercise program would
strengthen my heart. I still tried to go into denial and decided to try one
more test. I ran Bill’s Beer Run – a popular and fast 5-mile run in Sarasota. I
wanted to see how fast I could run? Since I was struggling to run an 11-min
pace in my daily runs I figured a 9-min pace was a good/realistic goal. I gave
it everything I had – and I mean EVERYTHING – and all I could manage was a
9-min pace for the first 3 miles and then I slowed to a 9:30 pace to struggle
to the finish line. That test and result hit me like a sledge hammer. I was
screwed! My ‘running’ life was over! I immediately went into a ‘funk’ – not
quite depression – but close! My emotions and attitude were on a roller coaster
ride! But the worst part was that I mentally gave up. I no longer had the
desire to race/run or the mental toughness to overcome/ignore the pain that is
encountered in training and racing. And as all runners know, marathons are 30%
physical and 70% mental! Three weeks later I ran a marathon in Fort Myers. It
was a disaster from the start for the above reasons. And to make matters worse
I started to suffer leg cramps and tightness in both hips at 8 miles. The
emotional roller coaster continued and ranged from denial/ignoring everything
and run till I dropped/died or quit right now! But wait – just when things
seemed like they couldn’t get any worse – they did! For the past few months I
had been feeling tired and sleepy all the time. Both the cardiologist and GI
doc claimed that the cardiomyopathy and UC couldn’t cause those symptoms so I
went to my GP. After many blood tests proved negative I was referred to a sleep
doc for consultation and sleep labs. Once again I wasn’t ready for the results:
Narcolepsy – an incurable sleep disorder- and the 3rd nail in
Maddog’s running coffin! It can be managed with meds (narcotics) but so far
Medicare refuses to authorize or pay for the prescription because the drug is
too expensive. I’ll be damned if I will pay for the drug since I am paying for
a Medicare Prescription Plan. (Consider this a forewarning about Obama Care and
government control of your health!)
Now I am up to date with my health issues/woes and facing
an international marathon that I had already booked and paid for. What should I
do? After many heated discussions with Maddog we compromised on a plan. I want
to complete three more personal goals that I won’t announce because Maddog
would then consider them etched in stone and I would be forced to do them no
matter what. This plan/goal requires that I run four more marathons over the
next five months. I am not sure that I can do that so we have wisely agreed to
run each marathon ‘one-at-a-time’ and re-evaluate after each race. So now I am
ready to leave for Belize and run the next marathon.
Race Report:
The most positive thing to come out of all the above
(bad) news and roller coaster rides was that I had finally accepted the truth
and decided to run within my limitations. I set a race strategy to run 3 miles
and walk 3 minutes. During the rest/walk break I would also stretch my quads
and hip flexors to prevent the tightness/soreness problems I have been
suffering for the past month in training runs. I expected that the only fun
part of the trip would be re-uniting with four of my fellow Country Club
members.
I flew from Miami to Belize City where I connected with a
small 8-passenger airplane for the final leg to Placencia. It has been a long
time since I flew on such a small airplane. We never flew above 2,000 ft. as we
followed the coastline and made a short stop to drop off passengers in
Dangriga. Finally I arrived in Placencia and joined my roommate Edson from NYC.
We soon bumped into another CC member Brent who joined us for dinner. We stayed
at the host hotel (Robert Grove Resort) which is expensive and remote (only 4
miles from the village but a $10 taxi ride). On Sat we took a taxi into
Placencia to explore the village. I was surprised that the village is so small
(1500 people) with only one paved road? It is very basic and laid-back – not
modern and upscale as I expected. It took only a few hours to explore the
entire village and enjoy a pizza for lunch. Later we picked up our race packets
at the hotel and joined the final two CC members (Yen and Peter) for a pasta
dinner at the hotel.
Sun was M-day! The race started at 5:30 am to benefit
from at least one hour of darkness and cooler temps. The race started in the
center of the village, ran 13 miles north on the only paved road and returned
to the finish line in the center of the village. On Sat we had noted how hot it
was at 10 am so we were hoping for cloudy skies and maybe rain on race day? The
weather Gods were kind to us. The skies were overcast at the start with temps
in the low 70s F. Peter and Yen slept in and just made it to the start line as
the gun went off so we weren’t able to get a group photo at the start of the
race. Brent started fast and the other four CC members ran the first few miles
together. At 3 miles I stuck to my race strategy and stopped to stretch and
walk for 3 min. When I passed 4 miles in 44:56 it started to rain which cooled
the temps and my bod and I started to leave my three friends behind. We enjoyed
light rain showers for much of the first half. I reached 12 miles in 2:01:05
and stopped and walked. So far I felt OK – actually good- and had no problems
with cramps or tightness. I passed the Half in 2:26:17 but I knew the 2nd
Half would not be that fast because the sun was starting to break through the
clouds. I was concerned that the sun would bake the wet road and we would be
running in a steam bath. We were lucky! The skies remained overcast for much of
the 2nd half also and I don’t think the temps rose above 80 F? We
passed some gated communities at Maya Beach and the Placencia Hotel which were
modern and upscale which is what I expected to find in Placencia Village. When
I reached mile 20 in 3:35:30 I started to tire and my legs started to get tight
so I changed my race strategy to run 2 miles and walk 3 min. When I passed mile
23 in 4:15:50 and a split of 13:26 I had an notion to run the final 5K but that
silly idea didn’t last long as I started to struggle. After another walk at
Mile 24 I was able to cruise to the finish line in 5:11:27.
I was happy with my time and performance based on the
struggles I had experienced in my training runs for the past month. I had
completed Marathon # 367 and Country # 118 without suffering any problems and I
was one marathon closer to my first goal. Brent had already finished in 1st
AG (60+) and we waited for our friends to finish. Peter and Yen had to jump
into a cab immediately to return to the hotel, shower and catch a 2 pm flight
home. I remember when I used to do silly things like that before I retired?
Edson and I returned with them so we could shower, relax and enjoy some food
and beer.
Brent and Edson left Mon morning and I moved into the
village where a hotel was cheaper and I could walk to all the bars and
restaurants. I had booked a 6-day trip hoping to visit some Mayan ruins after
the race. Unfortunately there were few tourists in Placencia at this time and I
wasn’t able to find or join a tour to any ruins. The only tours available were
snorkeling tours and I didn’t feel like snorkeling. Instead I explored the
village and met many locals and transplanted Northerners at the local bars
where the beer is good and cheap. There seemed to be a lot of Northerners who
came to Placencia on vacation and never left? Each night I would enjoy a great
seafood dinner and a nightcap at one of the bars with my new friends.
Since I couldn’t book a ruins tour I used the time to
start writing my trip report and managed to complete 90% of it in Belize. On my
last night I treated Maddog to a fine lobster dinner to spend my remaining $BZ.
A lobster appetizer + lobster (Creole style) + drinks cost $80 BZ = $40 US. The
flight home was uneventful except the small 12-passenger plane flew directly
over the marathon course and I was able to take some great aerial photos of the
course.
I am back home now and feeling more encouraged and
optimistic about my running. Since I was able to complete the Belize marathon
without any problems I have booked the trip for my next international marathon
in early Jan. That race will allow me to accomplish my 1st personal
goal. I also plan to reduce my training program from 50 miles per week to 30
miles per week to see what effect and benefit that produces?
Where is that race? What is the goal?
Stay tuned!
